Next on List:

-Moonlight by Rachel Hawthorne-Untamed by P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast-Hunted by P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast-Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater-Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead-The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith-Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen

Thursday, June 11, 2009

I would give this book an age suggestion of 14 and up. I think that someone with a mature mind could handle it. There are some sexual themes involved but they are mild.

Cover Art:

This is the original cover art for this book. I like it much better than the newer ones, even though those are nice, this one really connects with the story, and the history of one of the main characters.

Summary:

When confronted by raging fires or deadly accidents, volunteer fireman Taylor McAden feels compelled to take terrifying risks -- risks no-one else in the department would ever take -- to save lives. But there is one leap of faith Taylor cannot bring himself to make. He cannot fall in love. For all his adult years, Taylor has sought out women who need to be rescued, women he leaves as soon as their crisis is over, as soon as the relationship starts to become truly intimate. Then, one day, a raging, record-breaking storm hits his small Southern town. Denise Hilton, a young single mother, is driving through it when her car skids off the road. With her is her four-year-old son, Kyle, a boy with severe learning disabilities for whom she has sacrificed everything. Taylor finds her unconscious and bleeding, but when she wakes, the chilling truth is clear: Kyle is gone. During the search for Kyle, a connection between Taylor and Denise takes root.

My Review:

This story of finding love in unexpected places and coming to terms with one's past is a sweet tale of how two people came together. Learning to trust others and themselves with their emotions and lives, we witness the blossoming of a beautiful relationship between the two main characters, Taylor and Denise. And their relationship began during the search for Denise's missing son, Kyle.

The heartache of dealing with the loss of a loved one and coming to terms with the feeling of guilt, even thought it wasn't your fault can really take a toll on a person's ability to form an emotional attatchment to another being. This is the dilema that Taylor faces. But he comes to find that when faced with situations where you do everything to protect and save others, you forget about saving yourself, the one thing you need most in his position. But that is exactly what Denise does. She saves Taylor from the past that haunts him and helps to give him a new outlook on life. Denise wouldn't focus on dating and taking care of herself in personal ways because of the time and effort she spends taking care of her autistic child. This is where Taylor steps in. He shows Denise that she can do both. With the help of somone willing. Kyle is the link betweent the two that teaches them about love. Love for yourself and love for another.

This book is a definite must read, and is completely re-readable. The story is so compelling and the attatchment that Sparks creates between the reader and the characters is mind-boggling. Being able to feel what the characters feel and understand who they are is so important when it comes to novels, and Sparks did a spectacular job with this. This love story is so wholesome and real, teaching the value of love to anyone who reads it.

About Me

My name is Ali and I love to read and write. I'm a bit of a hopeless romantic and that reflects in both my reading and my writing. I'm a 21 year old college student and I like long walks on the beach. Haha, just kidding. ;)